Lily is 2 1/2 Years Old!

It is hard to believe that Lily is already 2.5 years old! Closer to 3 than to 2 ... wow. Everyday I see glimpses into the little girl she is becoming - polite, thoughtful, stubborn, funny, and kind. Lily is an incredible joy and we just can't even remember what our lives were like without her! Even in her tough moments (which are becoming increasingly frequent, unfortunately) she is still so lovable. I am trying to savor it all, even the moments when she frustrates me, because I feel like her childhood is just flying by!

At 2.5 years old Lily is:

Counting to 100 by 10s - 10, 20, 30, etc. She can also count from 1-30 most of the time. Sometimes she gets a little mixed up between 16-19 but she also does it correctly a lot of the time.

In love with painting with her watercolors and special painting paper. She likes to use every color on every painting and sometimes ends up painting herself in the process.

Seriously whining. Like, a lot a lot. We are really done with the whining and have begun to crack down on it, but we have found it hard because sometimes her requests are legitimate but just presented in a whiny way. We've started asking her to rephrase things in her "nice, normal Lily voice" and sometimes that works and sometimes that leads to a full blown tantrum. We're still working on it.

This is her "You're an idiot, Mom" face. I'm seeing this more and more.

Still fighting sleep constantly. Every naptime and bedtime is met with resistance, but at least she is sleeping well once she falls asleep - about 10 hours at night with only a handful of wake-ups each month and a 1.5-2 hour nap during the day. We are convinced that when she grows up she will be one of those people who only needs a few hours of sleep a night.

Asking "why?" ALL.THE.TIME. Here is a sample from the conversation we had this morning:

Me: Lily, we're going to go see your friend at her house!
Lily: Why are we going there?
Me: Because that's where she lives.
Lily: Why does she live there?
Me: Because that's where her Mommy and Daddy live and she lives with them.
Lily: Why does she live with them?
Me: Because kids live with their parents, just like you live with Daddy and I.
Lily: Why do I live with you and Daddy?
Me: Because we love you and take care of you and we want you to live with us.
Lily: Why do you want me to live with you?
Me: I'm having a hard time remembering right now.



Reminding us that even though her verbal skills are very advanced for her age, she still only 2. She does things like roaring while counting (One ... ROAR ... Two ... ROAR ... Three .... ROAR) and refuses to even entertain the idea of potty training, despite the candy, stickers, jelly beans, and presents waiting for her if she uses the potty. At this point we're thinking she may go college in diapers.

Note: She never went on the potty that day ... or any day. The potty chart remains void of stickers.

Still completely and utterly in love with her Quinny Quinn. She likes to put blankets on Quinn to keep her warm, read books to Quinn, help me give Quinn a bath, sing to Quinn in the car ... she is the sweetest big sister.

In love with the show Team Umi Zoomie which is kind of a math infused show on Nickelodeon. That is where she learned to count to 100 by 10s. She is also really into their theme song and likes to walk around singing it at least a few times each day.

Keeps saying she is going to be Spiderman for Halloween since she heard a little boy friend of her's say it. She has no concept of either Spiderman or Halloween.

Wearing mostly 3T clothes though we are having an increasingly difficult time finding pants for her since her waist is tiny and her legs are so long. She wears 2T adjustable waist pants on the smallest setting to fit her waist, but she really could be wearing 4T pants for the length. I am envisioning a winter full of dresses and tights for her this year.

Still happiest at "Papa Gamma's" house. My mom has created the ultimate play area for Lily in the garage (and in the rest of the house too!) so Lily loves playing in her Dora playhouse, reading her dozens of books, listening to her books on CD, riding her tricycle, playing with her play kitchen, playing with  her puzzles, and sleeping in her GIANT bed all at Papa Gamma's house. She asks to go there every single day and when we tell her it is time to leave Papa Gamma's she gets so sad! It is so fun for her to have a place outside of our home where she feels so comfortable and has so much fun.

Saying the word "actually" a lot.

Me: Lily would you like some water?
Lily: Actually, I'd like milk please.

Me: Would you like to wear these pink pants today?
Lily: Actually, I want to wear my blue dress.

She's a girl who knows what she likes.

Still a very picky eater, but her current favorite snacks include apples, almonds, and string cheese.

A girl who likes to rough house with her Daddy. She likes to climb on Chris and her favorite new game is poking Daddy in the eye. "Daddy ... I'm going to poke your eyes!" I've discouraged this game for obvious reasons, but Chris and Lily both think it's hilarious so I'm on the losing end of this battle.

Is very crafty. The other day we bought marshmallows at the store and I gave her one in the car on the way home. She said "Mommy, would you like to give me a marshmallow?" and then, after receiving said marshmallow, said "Mommy, would you like to let me hold the bag?" Sneaky girl!



Lily is a girl who keeps us on our toes, that is for sure. She is still growing and changing so much and it is fun to look back and see that last year at this time she was just starting to put two words together and just learning her colors. She has come so far and changed so much in just the last 12 months! I am so excited to see what the future holds for this precious girl!